| Octopus: | | | | - 1 cup - palm hearts, chopped |
| I enjoy octopus immensely. Although it is very | | | | - 1 cup - Calamata olives (seeds removed), chopped |
| common in Mediterranean European countries, it has | | | | - 1 cup - Spanish olives stuffed with pimento, |
| not received the attention here in the US. In fact, I | | | | chopped |
| suspect many think of it as an exotic food. But if | | | | - 4 ounces - grilled octopus, chopped (prepared like |
| you can get past the tentacle suction cups, you will | | | | the grilled calamari ) |
| almost certainly find octopus to be a culinary delight. | | | | - 1/2 pound - Genoa salami, cut into 1/2 inch cubes |
| It's like many foods; you have to acquire a taste if | | | | - 1 7-ounce bottle - sundried tomatoes (oil drained), |
| you have not grown up eating it. I recommend using | | | | chopped |
| fresh octopus (buy it already cleaned and prepared) | | | | - 1 cup - cherry tomatoes |
| if you can get it. Some grocery stores and Asian | | | | - 1/2 cup - feta cheese (optional) |
| markets carry it. I have no problems finding it here in | | | | - 1/2 cup - white balsamic vinegar (I use Alessi ) |
| Florida. I suggest that if you find it fresh, marinate it | | | | - Salt and pepper to taste |
| the same way as I did for the calamari (24 hours) | | | | Preparation: |
| and then grill it the same way. If you cannot find | | | | This is a simple and quick salad to make. Once you |
| fresh octopus, you can use Vigo's canned octopus | | | | have grilled the octopus (marinate and grill it the |
| (don't grill it) as a fallback. They offer it in soy and | | | | same way as the grilled calamari, you can add it along |
| olive oil, and it is actually quite good. In addition, I use | | | | with the rest of the ingredients to a bowl and mix |
| white balsamic vinegar in the recipe. It is not as | | | | well. You can also experiment with other ingredients |
| strong as the regular. | | | | including provolone and parmesan cheese. You |
| Ingredients (6 servings): | | | | typically serve the salad before the meal which is |
| - 1 cup - marinated mushrooms, chopped | | | | precisely what antipasto means in Italian. |
| - 1 cup - marinated artichokes hearts, chopped | | | | Enjoy! |